AU 316.07 states that three conditions generally are present when fraud occurs. The first leg of the fraud triangle is incentive or pressure committed by management or other employees to commit fraud. The second leg is opportunity. Individuals have the opportunity to commit fraud due to the absence or weaknesses in internal controls which include management's ability to override controls. The third leg is rationalization that provides the individual with the motivation to commit fraud. Moral development and high ethical standards are not always a deterrent to prevent an individual from rationalizing the reasons to commit fraud. The greater the incentive or pressure, the more likely an individual is to rationalize the reasons for committing fraud. All three legs of the fraud triangle are present in order for fraud to exist. Fraud often times is a cycle. It doesn't always occur as a top-down approach but this approach has often been the case. Management usually has the ability to commit fraud because of its position of power and control. They are either pressured or have an incentive to commit fraud and the opportunity to manipulate accounting records or misrepresent financial information. There can be numerous rationalizations that occur such as public image security, job security, financial security, etc. They can indirectly persuade or order other employees to commit fraud by pressuring the employees that if they do not comply then they will lose that job and financial security. Threatening to take away a person's financial security can be a greater motivator to commit fraud from an otherwise ethical individual. The employee then may be paved the way to opportunity through the company's lack of internal controls. The employee's rationalization, based on financial security, is that they have no other choice because they were committing fraud to protect their livelihood, family, home, etc